Apparatus for removing textile thread waste from a textile thread carrier

ABSTRACT

The Specification describes an apparatus for removing thread wastes from a textile thread carrier, in which a lifting member, having an elongate flattened point shape, is inserted by relative movement between the lifting member and carrier, between the carrier and the threads therein. The thus lifted threads are cut by a breaking member which may be a knife or a heated needle on the top of the lifting member. Alternatively a heated member, a rotating disc or fixed knife may be inserted in a slot in the lifting member.

O Unlted States Patent 11113,574,250

[72] Inventor Maurice Bissauge [56] References Cited Francheville-Le-Bas, France UNITED STATES PATENTS [21] P 785,717 2,617,172 11/1952 Henry 28/19 [22] Filed Dec.20, 1968 2,736,962 3/1956 Putmon.. 30/294 [45] Patented Apr. 13,1971

. Rh 3,036,358 5/1962 Scagha... 28/19 [731 Asslgnee 3,137,913 6/1964 l-layes 28/19 Paris, France [32] Priority Dec.20, 1967 Primary ExaminerLouis K. Rimrodt [33] France Attorney-Cushman, Darby and Cushman [31] 133,126

[54) APPARATUS FOR REMOVING TEXTILE THREAD WASTE FROM A TEXTILE THREAD CARRIER ABSTRACT: The Specification describes an apparatus for removing thread wastes from a textile thread carrier, in which a lifting member, having an elongate flattened point shape, is inserted by relative movement between the lifting member and carrier, between the carrier and the threads therein. The thus lifted threads are cut by a breaking member which may be a knife or a heated needle on the top of the lifting member. Alternatively a heated member, a rotating disc or fixed knife may be inserted in a slot in the lifting member.

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APPARATUS FOR REMOVING TEXTILE THREAD WASTE FROM A TEXTILE THREAD CARRIER The present invention relates to apparatus for removing thread wastes from textile thread carriers. Thread carriers used in the textile industry frequently retain, after unwinding, one or more layers of turns of thread, called thread wastes,

which it is desirable to remove before winding a new coil onto' the said support.

Numerous devices have been proposed for removing thread wastes. In particular, devices have been described which comprise one or more claws which are pressed against the external peripheral surface of the carrier and which are subjected to a movement parallel to the axis of the carrier. These claws grab and carry away thread wastes in the manner of a scraper by causing them to slide along the carrier. However the accumulation of turns of thread upstream from the claws impedes their movement and blocks them against the peripheral surface of the carrier, this occurring the more, the stronger the thread which is to be removed is and the higher the tension with which it has been wound onto the carrier. The forces employed rapidly cause the appearance of scratches on the surface of the carrier, which is generally of low hardness, these scratches being very harmful to the quality of the thread layed down in the fust layers of subsequent winding.

A further device has also been proposed, using a rotating knife so arranged as to cutofi the turns and move along a generatrix of the carrier. Guides rest on the coils of thread on either side of the knife, preventing the latter from coming into contact with the carrier. The operation of such a device employs much lower forces than in the preceding case but is still rather unsatisfactory, particularly if the threads to be removed are fine.

The adjustment of this type of apparatus must then be made with a precision of the order of magnitude of the diameter of these threads, that is to say of the order of l/ 100 mm. This order of magnitude is generally less than that of the surface irregularities of the carriers, so that thread wastes cannot be completely removed without damaging the tops of the undulations of the carriers.

Furthermore, it is difficult to cut threads which have been wound loosely on the carrier. These threads are generally carried a certain distance by the knife without being cut and they sometimes wind themselves around the knife, thereby preventing its rotation. Turns sliding as a result of failure to cut also takes place very frequently at the end of windings, the more so the less closely packed the turns are, and the cleaning of the carrier must then be finished manually.

According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for removing textile thread wastes from a textile thread carrier, such apparatus comprising a support for mounting the thread carrier with its axis in a given direction, an elongate, flattened, point-shaped lifting member positioned adjacent said support substantially parallel to said given direction, the tip of the lifting member being adapted to contact the surface of a thread carrier mounted on said support, means to produce relative movement between said support and lifting member parallel to said given direction, and a breaking member associated with said lifting member and arranged to break a thread lifted thereby upon such relative movement. The flattened point can space or lift a turn away from the surface of the carrier by a sufficient distance to facilitate the subsequent breaking of this turn without however having to space it away from the surface of the carrier by a large distance, and whilst distributing the lifting force over a sufficiently wide zone of the surface of the carrier. The profile of the lifting member adjacent its tip is essentially rectilinear and is preferably slightly curved so as to be concave towards the carrier. The end of the lifting member is preferably greatly drawn-out so as to allow the said point to penetrate between the surface of the carrier and the layer of turns with which it is in immediate contact, even where the thread of these turns is very fine.

The lifting member is preferably made of a supple material of low fragility and sufiiciently resistant to wear. Satisfactory results are for example obtained by using a spring steel or a steel which is surface treated after machining, so as to increase its hardness. The lifting member is advantageously produced at the end of a flat bar the other end of which allows it to be positioned on a machine by means of a carrier similar to a toolholder, or on any member which allows it to be brought into contact with the carrier.

Preferably the lifting member is mounted in a toolholder or is maneuvered in such a way that in operation its end is applied to the surface of the carrier, with its top being slightly inclined to the surface of the said carrier. The tip is applied to the said carrier with sufficient force always to remain in contact with the surface of the carrier and it faithfully follows any possible undulations when the point is moved relative to the latter, but without excessive pressure so as to avoid any risk of damaging the surface of the carrier.

When the tip encounters a turn wound on the carrier the turn is lifted and as a result of the movement of the lifting member tends to mount the slightly inclined ramp which the member forms. in the zone where they are broken the turns of thread are kept spaced away from the surface of the carrier by the flattened point, and this eliminates any danger of damaging this surface and makes the thread more accessible to the breaking member. Furthermore, each turn of thread is, in the breaking zone, stretched by the presence of the lifting member, so that, in this area, the thread is very taut, thereby facilitating the cutting operation. Thus, by way of example, the simple arrangement in this area of a heat-insulated heated needle having a flattened point causes the breakage of the turns as a result of the simple softening caused by the application of heat.

This mode of breakage by heating is particularly advantageous where the threads consist of thermoplastic material because it offers the advantage that the ends of consecutive broken turns arranged on either side of the heating needle are welded together. Thus the thread wastes form, after breakage, a welded assembly and there is no risk of the waste becoming spread everywhere, to the detriment of the cleanliness and good operation of the apparatus.

Of course the breaking member can be of any other type which permits breakage by thermal or mechanical action or according to any other suitable process. In all cases the operation of this breaking member is assisted by the action of the lifting member, so that numerous breaking devices can be used which would otherwise not be suitable.

Manual, or preferably mechanical, means are provided for causing a relative displacement between the carrier and the lifting member parallel to the axis of the carrier. The end of the lifting member may thus be moved over the whole length of the carrier along any desired path but advantageously along a generatrix of the carrier. It is however also possible to move the carrier along a rectilinear horizontal path, for example, if the lifting member is unable to cause a displacement in the direction defined by this path. Of course it will be advantageous to allow the lifting member to move at right angles to the direction, so as, for example, to follow the undulations of the carrier or of the generatrix of a conical carrier being moved along its axis.

Advantageously, means are provided to bring the lifting member onto the surface of the carrier at one end of the said carrier and to move it to the other end without striking the ends of the said carrier or any other obstacle, such as a device for tying together broken ends, which may be present near one end. It is for example possible to use a toolholder guide can or any other device for raising the lifting member again.

In order that the present invention will be better understood, the following description is given, merely by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention;

FIGS. la, lb and 1c respectively show, to a larger scale a perspective view in transverse section, a section in the plane of symmetry, and a plan view of a first form of the lifting member, suitable for the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 2, 2a and 2b are similar views of a second form of lifting member;

FIGS. 3, 3a and 3b respectively are a plan view, a transverse section and a longitudinal section of a further form of the lifting member; and

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are side elevations, partly in section showing three different forms of breaking member, used with the lifting member of FIGS. 3, 3a and 3b.

As seen in FIG. 1, the apparatus comprises a frame 1 having mounted therein a pivotable toolholder 2 carrying a lifting member 3 in the fonn of a flattened point of which the end is applied against the surface of a tubular thread carrier or cop 4, by the action of a spring 5. Near its tip the member 3 carries a breaking member in the form of a needle 6 which is electrically heated via a circuit 7. The cop 4 is held on a support cradle 8 which can move along slides 9 on the frame 1. The cradle 8 may be subjected to a transverse reciprocating movement by a fluid pressure operated jack 10. In the lower part of the frame, a chamber 11, to which suction is applied by a fan 12, is intended to receive the thread wastes 13.

The lifting member 3 illustrated in FIG. 1 is a treated steel foil which is essentially in the shape of a drawing pen nib, that is to say reducing in thickness and width so as to have one end in the shape of a flattened point. In the part of the foil which is used, its lower face is substantially plane and its upper face is slightly convex and devoid of all roughness. The edges defined by the intersection of the faces are smooth, rounded and noncutting. The foil has a plane of symmetry along its longest dimension which passes through its end and is at right angles to the lower face.

The member 3 is fixed to the toolholder which is so arranged that the plane of symmetry defined above passes through the axis of the cop 4. Its end rests on the surface of the cop and its plane face makes an angle of about 5 with the axis of the cop.

At 1 centimeter from its end the member 3 has a bore in which the needle 6 is set in a ring 14 of insulating material. The axis of the bore and the axis of the needle essentially coincide and are arranged in the plane of symmetry of the member 3. At the level of the bore the member 3 is 1 cm. wide and 2 mm. thick.

In operation, the cop is moved parallel to its axis in a direction such that the tip of the lifting member is inserted between the first turn which it encounters and the surface of the cop.

As the cop advances, so this turn and the subsequent turns slide on the bowed face of lifting member 3 and thus rise progressively. The tension of the turns is thus increased until each of them reaches the heated needle where it easily tears as a result of softening. Thus thread turns which are wound without tension or loosely on the carrier are placed under tension before being cut. This placing under tension permits immediate breakage of the thread from the moment it comes into contact with .the breaking member, without risk of carrying the slack turns of thread along the carrier without cutting them. During an experiment on cutting polyamide threads, where it was desired not to degrade the polymer, the temperature of the heating needle was adjusted to 50 C. below the melting temperature of this polymer. The threads broke without difliculty and all risk of thermal degradation of the polymer by melting was avoided.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 2, 2a and 2b, the lifting and breaking members are combined into a single piece, a cutting edge 15 being fonned on the convex face in the plane of symmetry of the member. The edge starts from the level of the convex surface at mm. from the top of the member and it is mm. long, at the end of which it projects 2 mm. above the convex surface of the foil.

The turns of thread are lifted by the point as before and are progressively cut by the cutting edge. The cutting force is here greater than in the preceding case and tends to press the end of the foil more strongly against the surface of the cop 4.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 3, 3a and 3b the lifting member is formed with an axial recess or slot 16 which allows an appropriate breaking member to be inserted.

The part 17 of the lifiing member which is between the recess 16 and the toolholder (not shown) has a constant width of 14 mm. and a uniform thickness of 2 mm. and is arranged parallel to the axis of the cop. At the level of the recess 16 the lifting member becomes thinner and narrower and has the shape of a flattened point, and curves inwards towards the surface of the cop 4 so that where the end 18 of the point is in contact with the cop the part 17 of the lifting organ is 2 mm. away from the latter.

FIG. 3b shows the profile of the member and FIG. 3a shows that in operation the thread turns lifted by the latter are well cleared in their part 19, which is positioned above the recess 16. They can easily be broken in this area by practically any desired breaking member.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a preferred embodiment of the breaking member combined with the above lifting member, in which a heated element is fixed to the toolholder, the nose 20 of the element having a V-shaped end inserted into the recess 16 without coming into contact with the lifting member. The weight of the heated element is compensated by counterweights so that the end of the point rests on the cop with a low force of the order of 0.5 N. A heated element raised to a temperature of about C. is generally suitable for removing thread wastes of thermoplastic threads such as polyamide or polyester threads. In fact, because of the tension caused by introducing the point, between the turns and the cop, the softening caused by the heated element suffices to break the threads. The thread turns which have been broken in this way tend to stick together at their softened ends, so that bundles of turns easily come away from the cop under their own weight without becoming scattered all around the machine.

As seen in FIG. 5, the breaking member may be a circular knife 21 fixed to the toolholder by a yoke 22 and caused to rotate by a small motor (not shown) via a pulley 23 and belt 24.

According to FIG. 6 the rotating knife is replaced by a knife 25 which consists of a razor blade fixed on an arm 26 which is mounted on the toolholder via a vibrator (not shown) which causes the razor blade to reciprocate at high frequency and low amplitude parallel to the edge 27 of the razor blade. This device is particularly suitable for cutting glass filament winding wastes.

The apparatus according to the present invention makes it possible to remove thread wastes both'from cylindrical and from conical carriers regardless of their size. It is particularly suitable for removing thread wastes from smooth or slightly undulating surfaces, but is also suitable for surfaces which are striated at right angles to the axis of the carrier, provided that the diameter of the threads should be greater than the depth of the striations, so that the turn in question should not be completely buried in the carrier.

The apparatus according to the present invention has the advantage of being capable of removing practically all thread wastes of textile filaments regardless of whether they are filaments or spun threads of natural fibers such as wool, cotton, linen, jute, hemp or ramie, or of synthetic fibers such as viscose, cellulose acetate, triacetate, polyamides, polyesters, polyolefines, acrylic fibers, vinyl fibers or glass fibers.

The operation of the apparatus according to the invention can easily be made automatic by for example using a travelling belt of carriers as the means of relative displacement, and providing a device for the automatic lifting of the point. The automatic machine which results can easily clean carriers continuously at very short intervals.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for removing thermoplastic textile wastes from a textile thread carrier, said apparatus comprising, in combination:

a. support means for mounting said thread carrier with its axis in a given direction;

b. an elongate, flattened, point-shaped lifting member positioned adjacent said support means substantially parallel to said given direction;

c. a tip to said lifting member adapted to contact the surface of a thread carrier supported by said support means;

d. an upper surface :to said lifting member;

e. means to produce relative movement between said support means and said lifting member, parallel to said given direction; and

f. a heated needle fixed with respect to said lifting member 

1. Apparatus for removing thermoplastic textile wastes from a textile thread carrier, said apparatus comprising, in combination: a. support means for mounting said thread carrier with its axis in a given direction; b. an elongate, flattened, point-shaped lifting member positioned adjacent said support means substantially parallel to said given direction; c. a tip to said lifting member adapted to contact the surface of a thread carrier supported by said support means; d. an upper surface to said lifting member; e. means to produce relative movement between said support means and said lifting member, parallel to said given direction; and f. a heated needle fixed with respect to said lifting member and extending above said upper surface thereof, effective to break a thread lifted by said lifting member upon relative movement of the latter with respect to said support means.
 2. Apparatus as claimed to claim 1, and further comprising means defining an elongate slot in said lifting member, extending in said given direction.
 3. Apparatus a claimed in claim 2, wherein said heated needle extends into said slot.
 4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means to produce relative movement comprise a fluid pressure operated jack connected effective to reciprocate said support means. 